Adaptive Kayak and ADA Boat Launches Protect Your Boat
At BoardSafe Docks, we believe we have designed and built the best ADA adaptive boat launch available on the market. That’s not coming from us — it's coming from the adaptive kayakers and para-rowers. After all, they are the experts, and they are also the ones who designed it.Read more
New Docks and Marina for Bridge Harbor Yacht Club in Freeport, Texas
The Bridge Harbor Yacht Club on the Gulf Coast of Texas has been receiving major renovations to their facilities. Recently, they completed 1100 feet of new bulkhead, along with a new 30-plus slip floating dock. The project replaced the old concrete "A" dock to create a much safer and more convenient environment for boat owners.
BoardSafe, a manufacturer of aluminum floating docks, gangways, piers, and rowing centers, supplied the project marina products (docks and gangway) for the Bridge Harbor Yacht Club in Freeport, Texas.Read more
Northeast Products Is Exclusive Distributor of Pearson Pilings
Customers who live or work in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, and want Pearson Pilings for their commercial or residential project, need to purchase them through Northeast Products and Services, Inc. (“Northeast”). Northeast is the exclusive distributor of Pearson Pilings in the Mid-Atlantic states.
Pearson's fiberglass composite pilings are the ideal building materials for waterfront foundations, docks, piers, and bridges. The composite pilings are stronger than wood, steel, and concrete pilings, and because they will not rust, rot, or crumble, they will last virtually forever. Containing no chemical preservatives that leach into the water, Pearson sustainable fiberglass composite pilings are environmentally-friendly and are the choice of “green” developers of clean marinas and waterfront properties.
Commercial applications include pilings for marinas, piers, docks, bridges, and more.
New marinas and docks, fishing piers, municipal bulkheads, and bridges, demand the strongest, most durable pilings available. Pearson pilings require no maintenance and will rarely need to be replaced, even after several years of hard use. Demolition and removal of old pilings may also be avoided by installing Pearson pilings over existing pilings.
The unique properties of fiberglass composite pilings make them an ideal building material for a wide variety of applications where superior strength and durability are required. From artificial reefs to elephant retaining walls, from bridge fendering systems to commercial building foundations, engineers and architects are finding new and unusual applications for Pearson Fiberglass Composite Pilings every day.
Best of all, Pearson pilings are environmentally-friendly. If you're building "green," you'll want to specify only Pearson Fiberglass Composite Pilings.
Residential applications include pilings for home foundations and residential docks and piers.
If you are building a new waterfront home, adding a new dock, or need to repair your existing dock or bulkhead, you'll want to use today's strongest, most-durable pilings. Pearson Fiberglass Composite Pilings will never rot, rust, or crumble. They'll last virtually forever. They're incredibly strong, too — stronger than wood, steel, and concrete! Their attractive, smooth, natural finish will look good year after year, never developing harmful, unsightly splinters.
Ask your contractor or architect to specify Pearson Pilings. Your investment today will pay off in the long run by eliminating replacement costs and increasing the value of your waterfront property.
If you are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, or Maryland, and would like to discuss your projects using Pearson Pilings, call Northeast at 610-899-0286. Northeast has decades of experience in residential and commercial construction as well as marine construction. Northeast also specializes in manufacturing aluminum floating docks, piers, gangways and rowing centers.
Adaptive Boat Launch, Piers, and Rowing Products
Adaptive Boat Launch, Piers, and Rowing Products
BoardSafe has developed a line of ADA-accessible products specifically for the adaptive athlete. These products include an adaptive kayak, canoe and boat launch, accessible piers, and floating docks with ADA features, as well as adaptive rowing docks for adaptive rowing (See links below). These products were developed in conjunction with adaptive athletes and conscientioulsy designed to meet their needs. Because adaptive rowers and paddlers had input on the products' proprietary designs, BoardSafe knows that their adaptive boat launches, fishing piers, and adaptive rowing docks, are the best-performing and highest-quality products on the market. All of our adaptive products are made with the same best practices, features, engineering, and quality measures used in all BoardSafe products. Each adaptive rowing product is specifically designed with the rowers in mind.
If you need an adaptive kayak launch, fising pier, or adaptive rowing dock, BoardSafe will customize your product by adapting their standard designs, engineering, and product sizes, to build a product that fits your needs.
Follow these links to learn more about our adaptive products:
> Adaptive kayak, canoe, and boat launch
> Accessible fishing pier and floating dock
Need help with fundraising? Read our recommended best practices for fundraising for your accessible project.
Leaser Lake, PA, Bridge Completes Walking Path Around Lake
As parks, marinas, rowing centers, and other outdoor facilities, add greater accessibility, Leaser Lake, in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, stands out as one destination that can be enjoyed by all. The park has completed an area that features accessible trails and a floating fishing dock. The county also unveiled an accessible kayak launch that includes an aluminum gangway, floating dock, boat ramp, and kayak access with ADA features.
The accessible floating dock and kayak launch were designed and manufactured by BoardSafe, who took several existing accessible kayak launch designs and added innovations based on feedback from wheelchair focus groups. The outcome was a new design that offers a convenient and safe way to transition from a wheelchair into a kayak. As one kayaker said, "It was awesome to transition independently, get in the kayak, and be free on the water."
New! Watch this updated video about the installation's durability:
Watch this brief video highlighting how the custom prefab bridge is positioned:
https://youtu.be/QbW9_ogt2Cs
The project highlights include an ADA accessible park, paved nature trail, ADA / adaptive fishing pier, ADA adaptive kayak boat launch, and accessible picnic tables.
The completion of the footbridge comes just in time for Lehigh Valley residents to walk around the lake and enjoy the warm fall summer and vibrant foliage.
In September 2022, BoardSafe visited the site of several of its applications at Leaser Lake in PA. In 2015, an ADA fishing pier and adaptive kayak launch were installed. The following year an aluminum pedestrian bridge was installed. The ADA-accessible park also includes a paved nature trail and accessible picnic tables.
Upon site inspection by BoardSafe Docks, all of the applications appeared to be in excellent condition, structurally sound, and in proper function. BoardSafe Docks prides itself on manufacturing high-quality products and excellent craftsmanship. As this footage shows, the condition of the ADA fishing pier, adaptive kayak launch, and pedestrian bridge continue to perform to the high product standards desired by BoardSafe.
Since the construction of Leaser Lake in 1971, Pennsylvania residents have enjoyed activities at the lake: fishing, boating, and hiking. For the first time, visitors will be able to walk completely around the lake with the installation of a footbridge. The bridge, built of commercial grade aluminum and manufactured by BoardSafe, goes over the dam at the lake and connects the nature trail on both sides. Prior to the installation of the footbridge, there was no continuous walking trail around the 117-acre lake. The bridge is one of the last installations of a renovation project crafted by the Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation.
This 540-acre park is owned in part by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and in part by Lehigh County.
BoardSafe's First Adaptive Kayak Launch Is Dedicated 9-11-2015
On September 11, 2015, after installing the first BoardSafe Adaptive Kayak Launch, at Leaser Lake, Dan Smalley and Jason Strozyk from BoardSafe Docks met with a number of Disabled Paddlers and representatives from the Leaser Lake Heritage Foundation to discuss what adaptive features needed to be added to the launch.
Located in the foreground are a cooler, two concrete blocks, and a cardboard box — This was the prototype for the first BoardSafe Boarding Bench with pullout seat. The bench was built and installed. The day before the dedication, the idea of installing the roll cage with straps and the overhead grab bar was proposed. Within 12 hours of the discussion, the items were manufactured and installed, literally a few hours before the ribbon cutting. This is a testament to the dedication and passion the BoardSafe Team has for the BoardSafe Adaptive Kayak Launch.
Penn's Landing, Pennsylvania, Commercial Gangway
Penn's Landing, Philadelphia's premier waterfront destination located on the Delaware River, is the home port of the Freedom Elite, one of the area's newest private yachts. The new ship required dockage that included removing old mooring pilings, installing new mooring pilings, installing two 10-foot-by-40-foot barges, and installing a landing platform cantilevered off the existing bulkhead wall. When it was determined a gangway and stairs would need to be included for the project, BoardSafe was naturally asked to provide those items.
BoardSafe met with company officials and determined that, because of the elevation difference between the new landing platform and the barge surfaces at mean low tide, an 80-foot long gangway would need to be provided. BoardSafe suggested using dock products engineered, designed, and manufactured by BoardSafe. Design loads were determined, calculations completed, and a final design generated. The fabricators at BoardSafe then consulted the drawings and manufactured the gangway, landing platform, and stairs. The components were constructed using BoardSafe proprietary shapes and standard shapes. Decking was Ipe, supplied in panel form by TimberStrong.
"We have had a few events on the new yacht and we are getting many compliments on the ramp! It looks great." — Mary Rinaldo, General Manager